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First Convention

By Leigh Anne Richards
Do YOU have a First Time Story? We think you do. Email it to Cindy and we'll publish it!



(Ed. Note: On the eve of Southern Comfort we thought many of you would enjoy this well-written remembrance of a quality event.)

After spending over 40 years as a closeted crossdresser, I decided last year that Leigh Anne was finally going to venture into the "real" world. This past January I made my most daring decision to date. I mailed in my registration to attend the 10th Texas 'T' Party in San Antonio, Texas. So it was that on February 25th I departed for the airport with my suitcase containing all the femme items I own and my mind conjuring up all the fears I could imagine. My exposure to date in the outside world had pretty much been limited to IXE meetings and a few trips to the Metro or to Ginny's Tall Shop.

I arrived at the Airport Hilton not knowing a soul and not at all sure what I had gotten myself into. I checked into my room and unpacked, and a few hours later Leigh Anne nervously stepped out into the hallway to make her way to the Welcoming Party. As I walked through the hotel lobby I could feel the eyes following me and I just wanted to run (luckily I couldn't in my heels), but as I approached the entrance to the Hospitality Suite I could see others of my kind, kindred spirits, "sisters". Right ??? Absolutely! I was immediately greeted and made to feel welcome. Never have I been so relieved. Here I was safe. Here, though maybe not in the lobby, I belonged. I spent two delightful hours sipping wine and talking to strangers (some soon to be my friends).

Finally it was time for dinner. It was then that I became aware of one of the "hidden agenda" of the Texas T organizers, that we learn to intermingle with the general population. So off we went to Tex's Grill, the hotel's restaurant. Yes, there were "straight" people there. Lots of them! And, yes, they did notice that we weren't your ordinary group of women. But after we got accustomed to the sideways glances and the whispered conversations, we enjoyed a splendid meal. I got to know several lovely girls that evening. By the by, the staff of the hotel (then, and throughout the conference) were wonderful. They were polite and attentive and we ended up having a great deal of fun with them.

The conference got under way on Thursday morning and the next few days fell into something of a pattern for me. I would attend several seminars in the morning and then we would enjoy a catered lunch. After lunch I would visit the Tag Sale and the Vendor Marketplace for an hour or so, then it would be time for a "field trip". In the late afternoon I would take in another session or two, then retire to my room to prepare for the after hours activities. At 6:30 Leigh Anne, dressed her best, would stoll downstairs for a glass of wine and the evening's meal and entertainment. There was a DJ on Thursday, a fashion show on Friday, and a live band on Saturday night. Following dinner some of the girls would venture even further "out" by hitting the local nightclubs. Oh, my!

"Field trips." As the name implies, this is sallying forth into the real world outside of the now relatively safe confines of the hotel. These trips were not openly embraced initially by many of us, myself included. But thanks to the firm but gentle leadership of two very special sisters, Jessi and Jenifer Rene, some of us overcame our fears and learned the joys of being out there amoungst the rest of the world. Our first trip was to a gay nightclub. For those in Indy who know it, it was much like Utopia in atmosphere. I had been to the Metro and to Utopia, so The Saint wasn't too traumatic an experience for me. Having successfully survived that, Jessi asked if we were ready for another field trip on Friday. Without questioning, we answered yes. We were then told to meet her in the hotel lobby Friday at 11am and to wear flat shoes. Our destination was downtown San Antonio!

We spent several unforgettable hours downtown en femme. We toured the Alamo, becoming the highpoint on 20 or more people's home videos. We walked up and down the famous River Walk (thank God Jessi insisted we wear comfortable shoes!), and we ate al fresco along the water's edge. We smiled sweetly and people with their cameras cruised past us in the river boats. We used the restroom at the Hyatt, winding our way through an exhibit hall filled with 300 independant contractors (talk about walking the gauntlet!). It was truly the most liberating afternoon I have ever spent in my life! By the time the five of us headed back to the hotel, we were all totally at ease with our feminine selves. Sure we noticed that people noticed. But it didn't matter. We were there and we were being ourselves, in my case more completely myself than I had ever experienced before. A new confidence was born! Thank you, Jessi, for being not only our field guide, but our spiritual guide as well!

Friday night we went to a more mainstream club downtown. If I have any words of advice for you girls who like to party hardy, it would be to find a truly comfortable pair of dancing shoes and to break them in before you hit the discos. Jessi, Jenifer, Debbie and I stayed at the Bottom Exchange until the wee hours and danced until our feet were the size of watermelons. And although the dancing was great, it didn't compare to the comraderie we enjoyed that night. Thank you, Jenifer, for sharing your experiences with me and being such a good sister to us all!

On Saturday afternoon it was time to go forth on our own, and Heather, Debbie and I did the mall. We actually felt comfortable stolling through the shops that afternoon. We now knew that there was little to fear from the general public if you just relax and be yourself. Some people will notice and snicker or look disgusted, some will smile and say hello, and the majority will pass you by without so much as a glance, tucked deep into their own little worlds, oblivious to what is going on around them. For this bit of wisdom, I offer my graditude to Linda & Cynthia Philips and the other organizers of the Texas T Party. Without your hidden agenda to force us out into the world, I wouldn't be half the woman I am today. Thank you!

I made many, many good friends in San Antonio. Debbie. Renee. Bonnie and his wife Alta; Mary and his spouse Gayle. Janet. Heather. Anna. Already we have been in touch, recalling our shared experience, swapping photos. I warmly embrace the joys of sisterhood, and I hope someday to pass on the gift of friendship so freely given to me by my big sisters and guardian angels, Jessi and Jenifer.

If you are ready to expand your feminine horizons, if you wish to know that you do belong in this world, if you want to learn more about your crossdressing and how to deal with it, I would heartily recommend that you attend the Texas T or one of the many other similar TG events scattered throughout the country. You won't be sorry! I know for sure that my life will never be the same, that I will live it more fully and joyfully since I have returned. The experience changed me for the better. I just hope Indianapolis is ready for me! I know now that I am!

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